by Staff Writer
Sunday, 10th August 2025
West Ham United rather fortuitously ended their pre-season with a penalty shootout win against Ligue 1 outfit Lille in Stratford.
Graham Potters' side were trailing 1-0 to former Arsenal forward Olivier Giroud's first half effort until the 87th minute when Niclas Fullkrug scored his third goal of pre-season to level the tie, forcing a penalty shootout.
And Alphonse Areola - who faces the prospect of being replaced as Potter's first choice between the sticks by new signing Mads Hermansen, whose capture was announced shortly before kick-off - was the hero of the hour as he smartly saved two Lille efforts to secure the win.
In front of a capacity-capped stadium, with only the lower tier opened to the public the Hammers started poorly - as has frequently been the case in pre-season.
However Lille were forced to wait until added-on time at the end of the opening 45 to take advantage of United's poor start when the wily old Giroud, 38, took advantage of a lapse of concentration by Aaron Wan-Bissaka to steal behind West Ham's defensive line and steer a shot into the top corner.
Fortunately for the Hammers, and the vast majority of the 23,104 crowd, this was to prove to be the proverbial "game of two halves" as Potter's men completely dominated the game after the break.
On any other day Niclas Fullkrug would've almost certainly seen the net bulging when his pinpoint header was heading for the top corner, only to be expertly turned around the post by Les Dogues 'keeper Arnaud Bodart on this occasion.
And the Belgian proved his undoubted quality yet again later in the half, when Jarrod Bowen's goal bound shot was tipped onto and over the bar by a fantastic fingertip save.
There were also great chances for Malick Diouf, who steered a header narrowly wide and Bowen again, who failed to find the target with the kind of effort he'd normally finish with deadly accuracy. Meanwhile Nayef Aguerd, once again looking assured in a defensive three alongside Max Kilman and Jean Clair Todibo saw a header from a James Ward-Prowse corner narrowly miss its intended target.
With time fast running out and with his team looking like ending the game with their first shut-out of the summer, a flurry of substitutions proved to be the key to grabbing a late, yet thoroughly-deserved equaliser.
A defensive mishap allowed skipper Bowen to retrieve the ball close to the Lille corner flag and he slipped the ball through to sub Tomas Soucek, in the kind of advanced position his predecessors had simply not ventured into.
The Czech midfielder pulled the ball back from the byline into the path of Fullkrug, lurking in the six yard box, to steer the ball into the far corner with a flat-footed Bodart unable to intervene on this occasion.
With the inaugural; sponsor's trophy being up for grabs, the German striker's late leveller ensured spot kicks would be taken to provide a winner. However Fullkrug was unable to repeat his form from 12 yards, missing his (and West Ham's opening) penalty - before watching Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Součck and Aguerd hold their nerve.
With Haraldsson, Mukau, Alexsandro and Soriba Diaoune all converting for the visitors it fell upon Nathan Ngoy to win the match - but Areola denied the recent arrival to send the shootout into sudden death.
Kilman converted with aplomb, to put West Ham ahead in the shootout for the first time (5-4) and Areola was on hand to tip midfielder Lilian Baret's effort wide of the post, securing a morale-boosting win for West Ham in their final outing of pre-season ahead of the new Premier League campaign, which begins at Sunderland's Stadium of Light next weekend.
West Ham Utd: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Todibo (Walker-Peters 75), Kilman, Aguerd, Diouf, Potts (Rodriguez 75), Ward-Prowse, Paqueta (Soucek 75), Bowen (c), Fullkrug
Subs not used: Foderingham, Awesu, Scarles, Mavropanos, Alvarez, Orford, Irving, Guilherme
Goals: Fullkrug (87)
Booked: Paqueta, Potts
Lille: Bodart, Mandi (Toure 38), Alexsandro, Mukau, Perraud (Cossier 66), Andre (c) (Bouaddi 78), Ngoy, Haraldsson, Correia (Baret 84), Broholm (Sahraoui 78), Giroud (Diaoune 84)
Subs not used: Sajous, Bentaleb, Burlet, Diakite, Fernandez-Pardo
Goals: Giroud (45+1)
Referee: Darren England
Attendance: 23,104
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